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Stalwart Pious Bull Style
To practice Pious Golden Bull style is as much a path of faith as it is of enlightenment. To take up the path is to join the priesthood of the Unconquered Sun, it is to pursue the path of righteousness in all endeavors; it is to bring and shine golden glory into all corners of the world. Creatures of Darkness can never learn this style; those who foolishly attempt this pursuit waste their experience points and risk the wrath of Sol Invictus, who might send his Mice to chew upon them. This style is not for the subtle, however; neither the Golden Bulls, nor those who emulate them, are known overmuch for their subtlty. Unlike the actual power of the Zenith Caste of the Solar Exalted, much of the power in this Style is drawn directly from Ignis Divine. If you piss off the Most High too badly, he can excommunicate you from his priesthood (unless you are actually a Zenith,) thus preventing any of the Charms of this Style (upon which the priesthood of the Unconquered Sun is a prerequisite) from activating. The highest grand-masters of this Style are capable of, at great personal cost, actually beseeching the Most High for direct intervention. Stalwart Pious Bull Style requires that the aspirant have two dots in Performance, as well as any other ability associated with the Zenith Caste of the Solar Exalted (Integrity, Performance, Resistance or Survival) and of course, Martial Arts, to begin to learn. Pious Golden Bull style may be practiced in heavy armor and with a shield, and it's form weapons are any which enhance the punch or kick: Cestus, Fighting Gauntlets, Iron Boots, Katars and Tiger Claws, or their Artifact equavilents. Punch-enhancing weapons which are normally wielded as a pair may be wielded singly with the benefit of a shield whilst using this style. :If any Charm in Stalwart Pious Bull Style is actually being used by one of the Solar Exalted and any effect calls for an Essence roll-off, the Chosen of the Sun add two more automatic Successes to their roll-offs than the Charm otherwise specifies. If the Charm does not specify, it adds one success to all essence roll-offs. :In the unthinkable event that Sol Invictus is slain and no new Unconquered Sun rises to take his place, a Stalwart Bull Stylist will lose the effective use of Rally the Faithful, Calling the Faithful, Excommunication from Sun's Light and Beseeching Sol Invictus. Radiant Calf Sacrifice Cost: 1ahl, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Basic, Holy, Obvious, Crippling Duration: Instantaneous Prerequisites: None The first eccelestasial task an acolyte learns to perform is to pray. In Creation, prayer often goes unheeded when made by the novice, so the novice very quickly learns to boost the power of her prayers by making sacrifices. A sacrifice made in a deities' name gives that deity a portion of quintessence. This Charm is no different; the Stalwart Pious Bull sacrifices one of their own health levels, filling a box with an Aggrevated level of damage (which may not be resisted in any way or else the Charm fails) in exchange for unleashing a blast of golden light. In exchange for this sacrifice, all Creatures of Darkness who bear witness to the attack (assume it affects all CoD active within the scene,) are subjected to a powerful crippling effect (which affects creatures normally immune to crippling, such as the undead, but not those who are magically immune by means of active or permanent charms, such as the Abyssal Exalted with the appropriate Charms.) Such creatures' Dexterity scores are reduced by the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist's Essence score, to a minimum of 1. Creatures with an Essence score greater than the invoker's may resist this affect with a successful Difficulty 2 Essence roll. :More than one Priest of the Unconquered Sun got his start by setting off on the path of the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist. Those who learn this Charm become Priests of the Unconquered Sun, if they were not already. Burning Inner Light Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-Basic, Holy, Obvious, Compulsion Duration: Scene-Length Prerequisites: Radiant Calf Sacrifice As the dead flee before the light of day, so to do Creatures of Darkness find themselves banished from the vicinity of those who invoke Burning Inner Light. Calling forth a burning inner fire within themselves, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist sheds radiance and glows like the noonday sun. This powerful Compulsion prevents Creatures of Darkness from approaching within the Stalwart Bull Stylist's (Essence) in yards (a range which is illuminated as if at high noon), and those who are within this range are compelled to flee. They may not make attacks into that radius, whether ranged or melee, and they are not exempted from the effect if they are attacked by one within. If they are forced into the radius (such as by the glowing Stalwart Bull Stylist approaching them to attack,) they must flee at their earliest possible opportunity, by the fastest means available to them. Creatures of Darkness may resist this effect with Willpower. They may pay the difference between their Essence and this Charm's invoker's Essence (if theirs is lower) in temporary Willpower to ignore the compulsion, with a minimum of two WP. Creatures with an Essence which is higher than the invoker's need pay only one temporary WP to ignore the Charm's effect. Affected creatures defend themselves normally. Golden Bull's Charge Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Knockback Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Radiant Calf Sacrifice Channeling the power of the rampaging golden bull, the Stylist invoking this Charm to supplement an attack sends his or her opponents flying. If the attack contacts the target, whether or not it deals damage, the target is sent flying for the Stylist's Essence in yards. If the attack deals damage, they fly for twice the target's Essence in yards. Contact is defined as striking the target or his weapon: if an attack supplemented by this charm is successfully Parried, it has Contacted, and the target is still sent flying. If any effect contests this Charm's power to knock it's targets away, those who emulate the Golden Bulls add one automatic success to their Essence roll-offs. Sun Throws his Shield Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 5) or Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Holy, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Golden Bull's Charge When Sol Invictus throws his shield, all who oppose the shield must yield. When the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist throws his shield in imitation of the Most High, his foes are in for a world of hurt. This Charm allows the Golden Bull Stylist to make a Martial Arts attack with a range of his Essence times ten yards. When armed with a shield, he may throw an essence-forced copy of it with a range of his Essence times twenty-five yards instead, as a Simple action instead of Supplementing a Martial Arts attack. The attack roll remains Martial Arts. When using a weapon or bare hands, the attack deals normal damage, simply at range - golden essence-forged effects deal the damage; a golden shockwave roughly fist-sized will convey the force of a punch, whereas golden claws that strike from mid-air will rend flesh in place of a set of Razor Claws. Though this Charm is useful enough against regular enemies, the Charm is Holy, and against Creatures of Darkness it deals Aggravated damage instead of Bashing or Lethal. When throwing an essence-forged copy of a shield, the invoker of this charm deals 10B damage enhanced by their Strength. The attack has a Rate of 2 (hence, he may invoke the Charm twice in one action to hurl a second copy,) and a Speed of 5, with a DV penalty of -1. Stalwart Pious Bull Form Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious Duration: Scene-Length Prerequisites: Sun Throws his Shield, Burning Inner Light When this Form Charm is active, the Stalwart Pious Bull emulates the sun-king radiance of the Zenith Caste of the Solar Exalted. He brightly illuminates an area equal to his Permanent Essence x 5 in yards, and adds half his Essence (rounded up) to his Lethal and Bashing Soak against attacks by all Creatures of Darkness. He adds half his Essence (rounded up) to his attack rolls against such characters as well; this counts towards the usual dice caps for dice added by Charms. The defense bonuses granted by this Charm explicitly stack with those granted by an actual Zenith Caste Anima Banner. :In addition, the Stylist who learns this Charm gains a Mouse of the Sun (Glories of the Most High: Unconquered Sun page )42) as a Familar (4-dot) for free. The Mouse will infect targets with the Plauge of the Sun at it's master's command, but only upon targets it believes truely deserve it. It will not, for instance, infect a creature simply because they oppose their Master, but it will happily infect a creature who demonstrates some form of foul betrayal of Virtue, such as a rapist demonstrating Temperance 1, or a craven coward who flees from battle without being forced to do so by unnatural mental influence. Simply possessing a Virtue score of 1 is not sufficient - they must betray the concept of a virtue, usually by surpressing that virtue. Creatures of Darkness are the exception - it will readily gnaw upon such creatures. Sending the Dead Cost: 1-10m, 2wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Performance 4, Essence 4; Type: Simple (Speed 6) Keywords: Obvious, Holy, Shaping, Combo-Basic, Touch Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Stalwart Pious Bull Form Forgoeing simple damage and burning with the radiant hatred of the living for the animate dead, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist attempts to send the dead packing to their rightful place. The Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist places his hand or hands forcibly upon the undead target, and spending a number of motes equal to the effective Essence score of the target and crying out in the name of Ignis Divine. If the Stylist succeeds in an Essence roll-off against the target, it is destroyed instantly, sent packing to Lethe. Natural ghosts (such as those of humans or other formerly living things) are sent to Lethe. Unnatural ghosts, such as Nephwracks (which are the ghosts of a slain Primordial's component souls) are sent to Oblivion. Necrotech abominations contrived out of inanimate flesh, and simple zombies, are simply destroyed, never to rise again even under the foulest direct necromancy of the Neverborn themselves. Higher-order Death things, such as the Neverborn, are unaffected. This Charm could, in theory, destroy a Death Lord; but catching one without a defense against Shaping and succeeding in an opposed Essence roll-off is exceedingly unlikely. :The Abyssal Exalted are insufficiently dead to be affected by this Charm. Rally the Faithful Cost: 8m, 2wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Performance 5 Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 6) Keywords: Obvious, Holy, Emotion (Righteousness), Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Stalwart Pious Bull Form Raising his hands to the sky and exhulting the glory of the Most High, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist exhorts all those within earshot to rally to the cause of the Sun and cast down those who oppose him. In all willing targets who can hear the Champion of the Sun, this Charm generates a magical intimacy towards the cause of Sol Invictus. This intimacy is magically enhanced for the duration of the Story, though it becomes a normal intimacy afterwards. The Intimacy cannot be broken, and is treated as a second Motivation; in all those who answer the call, they automatically resist all Unnatural Mental Influence used upon them by Creatures of Darkness for the rest of the scene, and for the duration of the Story resist all such unnatural mental influence for a cost of 1 willpower and 1 limit, no matter what affects the Creature of Darkness attempts to use upon them which specify higher costs. :Mass Combat Units affected by this Charm invoked during Mass Combat become supernaturally fanatical, automatically succeeding on all tests for hesitation and rout. However, the Charm weeds out the cowards; the unit tests for Rout when the Charm is invoked, and may lose magnitude as the unfaithful refuse to be affected and flee like the cowards they are. :Creatures of Darkness, oddly enough, can answer the call, though they may only do so willingly, free of any compulsion. While this is almost garunteed to earn them the wrath of their own patrons, the Compassion of the Sun shields them from immediate reprisal; Abyssals gain no Resonance from choosing to follow the Sun, and Infernals gain no Limit from doing so. They still gain Resonance and Limit normally otherwise, however, and they will most certainly be hunted by their old masters' faithful minions to be subjected to fates worse than death. For earning this emnity, however, such creatures are, as individuals, striken from the Book in which Sol Invictus scribes the names of those he deems outside his Mercy, no longer counting as Creatures of Darkness. For many a renegade Abyssal, this may be the first step to Redemption - if they can survive. Golden Horn Gore Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Obvious, Holy, Combo-OK Duration: Instantaneous Prerequisites: Stalwart Pious Bull Style The Golden Bull lowers his horns and charges, ramming the shining tip of his horn deep within his opponent's body. Likewise, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist follows through on this Holy attack. This Charm, which enhances a single Martial Arts attack, causes that attack to ignore Hardness entirely, become Piercing, and against Creatures of Darkness, deal Aggravated Damage. Banish the Outsider Cost: 2-20m, 3wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Performance 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (Speed 6) Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Holy, Touch, Shaping, Compulsion Duration: instantaneous Prerequisites: Sending the Dead As the Lawgivers were empowered to rule Creation, in Sol Invictus' name is the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist empowered to evict those who do not belong in Creation. Laying her hand or hands on the target and spending twice it's Essence score in motes (and three willpower,) the Stalwart Pious Bull attempts to send it back to whence it came. He rolls his Essence opposed by the target's, and if successul, banishes that target to the far side of the nearest point of entry of it's home realm. The target is compelled not to return to Creation for a number of years equal to one plus the additional successes earned by the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist on the opposed roll. This compulsion may be overcome by the expenditure of a point of Permanent Willpower; else they may appear in Creation for one scene by spending 5 Temporary Willpower, but afterwards must return to their homeland immediately, stopping to do nothing save defend themselves if attacked. :For the purposes of this charm, the Undead, and the Abyssal Exalted consider the Underworld to be their homeland. Fair Folk and all Wyld-dwelling creatures consider the Wyld to be their homeland. Celestial Gods and the Sidereal Exalted consider Yu-Shan to be their homeland. Demons and the Infernal Exalted consider Malfeas to be their homeland. Alchemical Exalted and other things native to Autochthonia consider Autochthonia to be their homeland. Humans and other mortals consider the lands they have spent the most time alive in to be their homeland. Shadowland-dwellers, those who exist in Wyld Pockets within the borders of Creation, and those who exist in Bordermarches consider both Creation and their respective tainted location to both be their homelands, so they cannot be banished from Creation. Terrestrial Exalted and Terrestrial Gods, the Solar and Lunar Exalted, as well as normal Creation-dwellers, consider Creation to be their home, so they may not be banished. Celestial Incarnae and Primordials are beyond this Charm's power to banish; Yozi and Neverborn are not. Calling the Faithful Cost: 20m, 3wp, 1xp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Performance 5, Essence 5; Type: Dramatic Action Keywords: Obvious, Holy, Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Rally the Faithful Half martial art, half elaborate prayer, invoking this Charm requires a commitment of 20 motes to a Dramatic Action which lasts from midday to midday and requires unflagging concentration - any disruption whatsoever will interrupt it and require the invoker to begin anew. The Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist who invokes this Charm swallows his pride and accepts that sometimes, even the mightiest must seek aid. He performs an elaborate prayer (subject to the usual prayer rules) constructing an altar to the Sun, and at the end of the ritual, strikes down upon the altar with great fury. The base difficulty required by this Charm is 5. The roll which scores the least successes (Martial Arts or Performance) is the limiting roll, and it's successes are those counted. This Charm contacts a follower of the Sun with an Essence score equal to half the net successes scored on the lower roll to beseech them for aid (minimum Essence of 1). If they (at the Storyteller's discrection) deem the cause the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist pursues to be worthy, they may provide what aid they (at the Storyteller's discrection) deem appropriate. This Charm is not used to summon a powerful NPC to solve all of one's problems, but it may be used in a desperate time to call one with the power or unique ability to surmount an obstacle the Stalwart Pious Bull cannot. For example, it might be used to call for a powerful ally before a titantic struggle with Creatures of Darkness, or it might be used to beseech a loyal follower of the Unconquered Sun in Heaven to run interferance with Heavenly forces acting against the Stalwart Pious Bull. Such characters may (again, at the Storyteller's discrection) demand some form of consideration. This will seldom be so crass as an actual Resources pay-out, but it may take the form of a favor or task; an indigent God might command the Stalwart Pious Bull to found a cult for that God, for example, or the target may demand the Stalwart Pious Bull's aid in a future battle of their own. This Charm will always contact someone useful and in a position to be of aid, unless the Stalwart Pious Bull knows of a specific character they wish to beseech, in which case they may name that character directly. Such characters must be loyal followers of the Sun, and have interacted with the Stalwart Pious Bull previously. Eligible creatures for this Charm to contact include the obvious, such as Celestial and Terrestrial Gods, but also the non-obvious: mortal and enlightened mortal followers of the Most High, Exalted (of any type) who yet remain faithful to the cause of Ignis Divine, Elementals, and other such creatures. This Charm makes no provision for such characters to come to the beseecher's location; if they agree to help, they will have to make their own way. :For example, if the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist earned 19 successes on his Performance roll and 21 on his Martial Arts roll, he could, for example, contact Nysela, Charioteer of the Daystar, for aid. He cannot contact the Most High nor any other Celestial Incarnae with this Charm, even if he accrues the nessessary 25 successes on both rolls. Excommunication from Sun's Light Cost: 15m, 3wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (Speed 6) Keywords: Obvious, Holy, Combo-Basic, Touch Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Calling the Faithful, Banish the Outsider, Golden Horn Gore Of the things that Ignis Divine may do to his enemies, scribing their names in the book which declares them to be Creatures of Darkness is the second worst, short only to personally throwing the Godspear of All-Searing Noon at them. Beseeching the Sun to scribe a target character's name in that book is one of the most extreme and dramatic measures the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist may undertake. By Touching a character, they designate him for consideration; the matter is then in the Most High's hands. This affect may not blocked by any means short of avoiding contact with the designating hand; no part of the creature is being affected, and it is not Shaping, nor does it belong to any other detrimental keyword. It simply offers their name to the Sun for consideration. The Most High renders judgement immediately. If he considers that character to be a legitimate threat to Creation, likely to cause more actual damage to Creation than their efforts will bolster it, they are noted as Creatures of Darkness. If not, then they are not scribed in the book. The Sun does not appreciate being bothered unduely; if the Sun rejects condemnation of a target, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist looses access to this Charm for the duration of the Story (as he simply refuses to hear them out.) This Charm has no affect on Creatures of Darkness. They're already in the Most High's blacklist, whether under an umbrella designation such as 'Demons' or individually, such as Five Days' Darkness. Thus, the most likely target for this Charm are Shaped Fair Folk, whose umbrella category was not created until after Ignis Divine stopped paying attention, but whom he will recognize as Creatures of Darkness when brought to his attention; but it may be invoked upon any character, even the Chosen of the Sun, should it come to that. It would take an extreme clear and present danger to convince the Sun to turn his face upon his own Chosen, however, such as a character attempting to (re)enact Operation Wyldhand. Beseeching Sol Invictus Cost: 50m, 5wp +1pwp, 8xp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple (Speed 5) Keywords: Obvious, Holy Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Excommunication from Sun's Light Only in the direst of circumstances would anyone attempt to use the charm Beseeching Sol Invictus. It does exactly what it sounds like: for fifty motes of essence, the expense of five points of willpower, one point of sacrificed permanent willpower, and the sacrifice of 8 experience points, the Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist can beseech the Most High for direct aid. Such aid would only be granted in the direst of circumstances; a lone character standing before the Balorian Crusade, for example, or a circle of the Solar Exalted attempting to stand before Juggernaut and the Mask of Winters and the rest of Creation. The aid that the Most High will render unto those in need is likewise related to the direness of his situation, and the magnitude of the direct threat to Creation. For instance, if a character was standing before the Balorian Crusade alone, the Sun might throw them the Aegis of Unconquerable Might with which to stand before the tide. If a character invoking this Charm is one of his Chosen and is entrapped in a Monstrance of Celestial Portion, the Sun might cast the Godspear of All-Searing Noon at the Monstrance to burst the character free them, as well as invoking Blessed is the Light to cure all ongoing effects and damage they may be under, and Grace Dawns Eternal to raise their Essence score (thus restoring their mote pool and expanding it) to enable their escape. If a lone petitioner is standing as the only force (or one of a woefully inadequate force) between a titanic horde of demons unleashed by the Reclaimation or undead unleashed by a Deathlord, Sol Invictus might personally speed to the scene and Join Battle. :In no cases should this become a 'catch-all'. Ignis Divine does not empower weaklings simply to call upon him at the first sign of trouble. Beseeching Sol Invictus should only be invoked in the direst of circumstances, after all other measures have failed. If a Stalwart Pious Bull Stylist invokes the charm in a situation which is insufficiently dire and threatening to Creation, the Most High might turn his back upon them and ignore the call and all future calls. Should the petitioner survive, they would need to pay an additional eight experiance points, sacrificed to the Sun, as an appropriate act of contrition to regain the use of the Charm. In all cases it is up to the Storyteller - this is more of a literal 'hail mary' than a regular Charm, and should be treated as such. =Charm Template= Cost: ##; Mins: ##, ##; Type: Words Keywords: Words Duration: Words Prerequisites: Words Words Category:Exalted